Owen Wilson's father Robert Wilson dies at 75

Los Angeles: Actor Owen Wilson's father Robert Wilson has passed away after a long battle with Alzheimer's. He was 75.

TV executive Robert is survived by his actor sons Owen, Luke and Andrew, and wife Laura, who is a photographer, reported ABC News.

Robert is credited with launching the TV career of PBS journalist Jim Lehrer and bringing "Monty Python's Flying Circus" to American TV for the first time, according to the KERA website.

He was also famous for improving the station's technology, including transitioning the broadcast to colour and switching from film to video tape.

Robert was diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease a few years ago. In 2015, Owen opened up about his father's diagnosis for the first time and admitted it had been difficult for the whole family to cope.

"It's one of those things where if somebody had said 10 years ago, when my dad and I were joking around, having a putting match, that this is the position your dad's going to be in, where he basically needs 24-hour care, you'd think, 'Gosh, I won't be able to handle that. That's just not possible'," he had said.